News

South Gateway Project on Highway 101 November 08, 2017

SOUTH GATEWAY PROJECT

Estimated completion date: Dec. 30, 2017

Coos Bay’s Urban Renewal Agency has a desire to improve the eye appeal of the Highway 101 streetscape within the City limits. In 2016, the Agency engaged the services of GreenWorks, a Portland-based landscape architectural and urban design firm, to prepare renderings for streetscape concepts throughout the Highway 101 corridor in Coos Bay. The streetscape concepts were presented to the Agency in 2016. The ideas included both a basic concept for landscaping along with the fence railing theme that matches the recently completed railing project between the rail museum and Front Street.

While there are a number of areas identified for streetscape improvements along Highway 101, the Agency chose to start with improvements to the two-existing City entry monument locations. The north entry is near the existing "Welcome to Coos Bay" monument sign on the west side of Highway 101 (just north of the ACE Hardware store). The south entry project area involves the "island" on Highway 101. just south of the Shell service station and across the street from Fred Myers. The Agency has entered into a contract with Clean Rivers Erosion Control, a local company, to undertake the designed streetscape improvements. Work was started on the south entrance project area. The contractor has completed the site prep and they are now installing new curbs and gutters, planter divider walls, signposts for the new “Welcome to Coos Bay” sign, and fence posts, etc.